News

Churchill Downs Racetrack and TwinSpires.com have partnered for the third straight year to guarantee the Pick 6 pools on Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby days. The Kentucky Oaks Day Pick 6 will carry a $250,000 guaranteed pool and the Kentucky Derby Day Pick 6 will feature a $1 million guarantee.

Winchell Thoroughbreds’ homebred Untapable,who has wonher two starts in 2014 by a combined 17 ¼ lengths, has been installed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite in a field of 13 3-year-old fillies for Friday’s 140th running of the $1 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade I).

CALIFORNIA CHROME (No. 1) – As the rains pelted, the lightning flashed and the thunder roared at Churchill Downs Monday morning, likely Kentucky Derby favorite California Chrome and a dozen of his West Coast buddies went airborne from Ontario Airport near Los Angeles on a Tex Sutton charter shortly after 5 a.m. (Pacific Time). The flight landed in Louisville just after 11:30 a.m. local time and the horses arrived at the track at 12:45 p.m.

A parade of contenders for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands and the Longines Kentucky Oaks worked Sunday morning at Churchill Downs, with Tood Pletcher-trained Derby contenders Intense Holiday and Danza turning in eye-catching efforts. Also, it was announced Sunday that two possible Derby contenders - Ring Weekend and Bayern - are no longer being considered for the race.

With news Sunday of defections by Ring Weekend and Bayern from the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands, Commanding Curve now sits in the 20th spot on the updated "Road to the Kentucky Derby" point standings.

Martin Cherry’s homebred Embellishing Bob was elevated to first place after Bayern was disqualified for drifting out in deep stretch to win the 90th running of the $176,700 Derby Trial (Grade III) for 3-year-olds before a crowd of 24,431 on the opening night of the 38-day Spring Meet.

After 4-5 favorite Bayern held on by a desperate nose from Embellishing Bob and Myositis Dan in Saturday night's Grade 3, $176,700 Derby Trial, the inquiry sign flashed, and the stewards looked into a rough stretch run at Churchill Downs. A weary Bayern had carried Embellishing Bob out in deep stretch, and he was accordingly disqualified for interfering with the runner-up. Embellishing Bob, a Martin Cherry homebred trained by Steve Margolis, was thus awarded the victory in his stakes debut.

CALIFORNIA CHROME (No. 1) – “Very good. Exactly what I needed for the horse. He doesn’t need much now. He’s ready. I just wanted to put some air into him. He’s happy and fresh. That’s the way I want to keep him for this race.”

LOUISVILLE, KY (Friday, April 25, 2014) – Multiplatinum and award-winning country music singer and songwriter Jo Dee Messina will perform the national anthem prior to the 140thrunning of the Kentucky Derby® Presented by YUM! Brands® (Grade 1) at historic Churchill Downs Racetrack (“CDRT”) on Saturday, May 3.